


Gift

by altered_eagle



Series: City Goblins [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types, Dark Knight (2008)
Genre: Batjokes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, The Joker has a heart, also Alfred is around in this one and they're back at the mansion, batjokes headcanon turned drabble turned minific, but their relationship dynamics are the same as in my nolanverse stuff, fuckin A, i guess this one's more about headcanon in general than in any specific verse, it's in there somewhere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:12:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altered_eagle/pseuds/altered_eagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Once in a while, Bruce asks the Joker to stay the night.</i><br/> <br/>And the next morning,  Joker has to creep around the house like the boyfriend that the parents don't like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gift

[Gift: Rocco DeLuca & The Burden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DvNm9aj83M)

Once in a while, Bruce asks the Joker to stay the night. 

Once in a while, after the Joker finishes his thorough and systematic worship of Bruce Wayne’s body and they’re lying tangled in the silk sheets, Bruce will pull the clown close to murmur _stay_ in his ear. The Joker always honors his request. Sometimes 

it’s the Joker who makes no move to leave he just lies there languid and spent and smiling, so Bruce turns on the television and bundles him under the covers.

Alfred knows, and while he tolerates the Joker’s presence in the mansion he’s made it clear that he doesn’t approve. Bruce doesn’t expect approval, but he’s at least made sure the Joker understands what his expectations are when it comes to Alfred. 

_Whenever you’re here, you’re to be nice to him. Do you understand me?_ Bruce had said (very sternly) on that first morning. The clown had rolled his eyes dramatically in response.

_Listen Bruce Wayne i may be a ruthless crime lord but i’m not going to mess with your butler friend while i’m at your house on a booty call, i’m a bit more classy than that._

Bruce never made the Joker promise. He knows that the Joker does not lie to him.

The Joker knows that Alfred is uncomfortable around him (so many people are, with good reason) and he doesn't care one way or the other. Still, it's in the Joker's best interests to keep stress in the house at a minimum, so he tries to keep out of Alfred's way. He tries to be respectful.

* * *

It only happens once in a while but Alfred’s fairly certain that he’ll never get used to it: walking into the kitchen in the early morning to find the Joker making Bruce breakfast, or washing the dishes, or holding out a cup of coffee to him. The Joker is almost more frightening when he acts this way. Until recently Alfred never would have imagined that the Joker was capable of acting decently towards anybody. 

He’s witnessed firsthand the fallout from the Joker’s countless acts of destruction. 

He’s witnessed firsthand Batman running himself ragged just trying to keep up. 

But now Alfred has noticed during these times of armistice that Bruce smiles more, when the Joker is around. Alfred has seen the way that they look at one another. He’s heard the Joker murmuring reassurances in the middle of the night, when Bruce has woken from a nightmare. 

Of course it’s still deeply troubling to the butler, to watch the man he thinks of as a son slowly falling for a madman. But as disturbed as he is by all of it, Alfred can’t deny that the two of them appear to truly understand one another. That they seem right together. 

That he’s never seen Bruce this happy.

_I don't want to be  
Political energy  
A constant apology  
Or an instrument of hurt  
A hammer coming down  
To pound and pound and pound  
The door to your closet  
Is greedy with love_

_Here's my gift to you  
Accept it accept it  
That's all you have to do  
Accept it accept it_

_Confused, the twilight sings  
It looks like diamond rings  
The jewels that this hour brings  
Throw shadows in the park  
Don't wanna waste your time  
Or take what isn't mine  
Don't fix me 'cause I'm broken  
I was that way from the start_

_Here's my gift to you  
Accept it accept it  
That's all you have to do  
Accept it_

_Here's my gift to you  
Accept it accept it  
That's all you have to do  
Take it take it embrace it  
Accept it before it's gone_

-Gift: Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

**Author's Note:**

> Not my usual style, not nearly as much effort put in. But eh, i like it anyway ^_^ 
> 
> [Batjokes tumblr](http://batjokesfuckina.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Personal tumblr](http://altered-eagle.tumblr.com/)


End file.
